Akitada smiled a little. “Donot look so worried. I have no doubt that you will rectify whatever troublesyou.”
“Thank you, sir. I shall tryharder in the future.” Hitomaro paused, then said, “What Seimei said aboutfriendship, sir? I shall not forget it again.”
“He meant it for Tora,” Akitadasaid, surprised.
“I know, sir. But I almost hitGenba yesterday, and he was very kind …” Hitomaro broke off, overcome withthe memory of his friend’s generosity.
Akitada got up and touched hisshoulder. “Never mind, Hito. These are difficult times for all of us.” Hesighed deeply. “That little boy asked my help. I cannot forget his eyes.”
Hitomaro stood. “What can I doto help, sir?”
Akitada pulled his earlobe andfrowned. “I wish I knew. There is Judge Hisamatsu. I am not sure he is mad- hestruck me more as a fool-but what you told me about his association with Chobeiis very strange. He is close to Uesugi and his home is on the road to Takata.You might see if you can find out anything.”
Hitomaro nodded.
“But first there is the matterof the fishmonger and his missing brother. It is time that case was settled.Arrest the fishmonger, and ask Captain Takesuke for more information about thebrother.”
¦
Hitomaroglanced at the sky. The clouds were as low and thick as ever, and gusts of winddrove painfully sharp grains of sleet into his face and the backs of his hands.His armor was covered with a straw rain cape, and instead of a helmet he wore astraw hat which the wind would have torn off if he had not tied it on firmly.As it was, icy blasts pulled at the bow and quiver he had slung over hisshoulder and blew wisps of straw into his eyes.
Back at the tribunal, Torawould be snoring in his warm quilts, and their master, no doubt, had alsoretired. Hitomaro did not begrudge them the rest after their night scouringTakata for the boy, but he, too, had lost sleep, though far more pleasantly. Infact, lost sleep had been a matter of both joy and shame to him for many daysnow.
He intended to do penance byworking harder.
The garrison gates stood wideopen in a welcoming manner. Hitomaro looked for guards and, finding theminexplicably absent, walked in.
Inside the palisades, among thewooden barracks and on the exercise fields, was more evidence of relaxeddiscipline, if that was the word for it. Garbage was stacked in corners, thecourtyard was littered with horse droppings and dirty piles of snow, and thegarrison flags, slapping wetly against their poles, were tattered and torn.
Hitomaro located theadministrative building and entered. In the large hall, groups of soldiers weregathered about braziers, throwing dice, drinking, talking, or sleeping. After acasual glance at his bow and the sword protruding from under the straw cape,they paid no further attention to him, and Hitomaro walked past them to acorner that was screened off by makeshift stands covered with reed mats.
He had guessed that this mustbe the commander’s office. Pushing aside one of the screens, he found CaptainTakesuke engaged in mutual fondling with a round-faced boy recruit. Theyoungster wore only a light robe and a loincloth, but the cold did not seem tobother him; he was flushed with wine or desire, and slow to disengage when bothbecame aware of Hitomaro.
“What do you want?” snappedTakesuke. “Who sent you in here?”
Hitomaro suppressed hisdisapproval, snapped to attention, and saluted. “Sorry, sir. There was nobodyat the gate, and the men outside seemed occupied. Lieutenant Hitomaro from thetribunal, on orders of the governor.”
Takesuke pushed the half-nakedyouth away. “Well, Lieutenant,” he growled, “what is it that you want?”
Hitomaro avoided eye contactand instead kept his gaze just above the captain’s right shoulder. “You aremissing a soldier by the name of Ogai, and we have a mutilated body at thetribunal. Goto, a local fishmonger, has identified it as that of his brotherOgai. This Goto has laid murder charges against a neighbor, but we have reasonto believe that Goto lied about the body. His Excellency has sent me for Ogai’smilitary documents.”
“Ogai? That lazy bastard?”Takesuke glowered. “You mean he’s not dead after all? By the Buddha, he’ll wishhe were when I get my hands on him. Absent without leave again! He’s deserted,that’s what he’s done. And that sly weasel of a brother has made up the storyto save his own skin.” He slapped his hands on his knees. “If only there weresome action. That would keep the men out of trouble. Don’t you worry,Lieutenant. We’ll take care of the matter for his Excellency.”
“May I ask, sir, why Goto wouldtell such a lie?”
Takesuke stared. “Are youjoking?”
Hitomaro shook his head. “Ofcourse not, sir. I am puzzled why a man would lay a false murder charge againstanother man. That’s an offense punishable with a hundred lashes.”
Takesuke laughed. “What’s ahundred lashes to a man who’s about to lose his property? Goto stands suretyfor his brother. If Ogai deserts, his brother is a beggar.”
“Ah,” nodded Hitomaro. “Thankyou, sir, and forgive the interruption.”
The prospect of punishing bothOgai and his brother made Takesuke jovial. “Not at all, Lieutenant.” He smiled.“Give my humble regards to the governor. He’ll have his report this veryafternoon.”
From the garrison, Hitomarowalked to Goto’s shop. It was empty of customers, and the fishmonger wasleaning on his slimy counter, swatting at flies. Several large wooden tubs heldfish-bonito and bream, tuna and eels packed in melting blood-flecked snow orswimming in filthy water. Fat flies crawled everywhere. Only the grosseststench from fish offal would attract flies in this cold, Hitomaro thought, andheld his breath.
Goto recognized him andstraightened up. “Lieutenant!” He bowed several times. “An honor. You bring menews about my poor brother’s murder?”
“No. I’m here to arrest you forlying to the governor and accusing an innocent person of a capital offense.”
Goto’s jaw dropped. He tried asickly smile. “You’re joking. Ha, ha, ha. Soldiers will have their fun. My poorbrother was just such a one.”
Hitomaro slowly unwound a thinchain from his waist. “Put your arms behind your back!”
Goto backed away. His eyesmeasured the distance to the door, but Hitomaro’s bulk blocked the way. “I didn’tlie,” he cried. “I could’ve made a mistake. The worry about my missing brother… we were like two beans in one pod. I was expecting the worst. You know howit is, Lieutenant.”
“I know nothing.” Hitomarostretched the chain experimentally between his fists. “Turn around.”
“If it was not my brother, whata relief! What good news! You must allow me to invite you to a celebration.Wine and dinner. In the best restaurant. Yes, and bring your friends. I am verygrateful.” Goto laughed too loudly.
Hitomaro sighed. Transferringthe chain to his left hand, he stepped forward and gave the fishmonger’sshoulder a quick jab, wrapped his other arm around the man’s neck, and squeezed.Goto went limp. Hitomaro let him fall and rolled the inert body over to tie theman’s wrists behind his back. Then he filled a bucket with icy water from thefish tub and poured it over Goto’s head. Goto jerked up, coughing and spitting,small fish flapping in his shirt and sliding off his hair.
“Get up and march!” orderedHitomaro, pointing him in the right direction with a kick to his posterior.Amid grins from neighbors and jeers from small boys, they walked to thetribunal, where one of the constables locked the half-frozen fishmonger into acell.
This done, Hitomaro stopped bythe main hall, fully expecting to be told by Hamaya that his Excellency wasstill sleeping. But Akitada was in the archives, bent over a map of thedistrict. He was making notes on a slip of paper.
“Yes, what is it, Hitomaro?” heasked absently.
“Goto’s in jail. CaptainTakesuke told me that he stood surety for his brother Ogai.”
Akitada straightened up. “Goodwork! That does explain his persistence in the face of the obvious agedifference of the corpse.”
“Surely it solves the murder,too, sir? He must have killed a vagrant to save his brother’s skin and his ownproperty. And he probably shaved the victim’s head to make his identificationmore convincing.”
“But why write the note? And Idoubt he can write in any case. No, I believe Goto only took advantage of
